A novel steerable catheter enables targeted delivery of radio frequency
(RF) energy to specific points in heart tissue to correct cardiac
arrhythmia.
Developed by researchers at King’s College Hospital (KCH; London, United
Kingdom) and design and technology consultancy firm Cambridge Design
Partnership (CDP; United Kingdom), the new device involves eight
helix-shaped interlocking tubes to improve steerability and provide
greater compatibility with robotic control. This allows the user to
maneuver the catheter into the correct position faster, improve the
accuracy of positioning, and minimize damage to surrounding healthy
tissues.
The design team at CDP refined the initial KCH design, enabling the
device to meet key regulatory and biocompatibility requirements, whilst
ensuring suitability for commercial manufacture. Through CDP’s
experience of developing highly technical medical devices, the team was
able to miniaturize the design to allow space for the delivery of RF
ablation energy and irrigation. The new catheter is also assembled from
micro injection molded sections, incorporating features that enable it
to be built on an automated assembly line at reduced manufacturing cost.
Clinical trials are expected to take place in two to three years.
“We have been delighted with the results of Cambridge Design
Partnership’s work on this project. The team was chosen for the strength
of their existing experience in developing catheters across both
start-ups and global corporations," said KCH professor of biomedical
engineering Kawal Rhode, PhD. “We were very pleased with the engineering
approach and practical improvements that they managed to incorporate.
They delivered fully molded parts, and specified other components and
the assembly route which fully met our aspirations for the project.”
Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions in which the heartbeat is
irregular, too fast, or too slow due to a malfunction of the electrical
conduction system of the heart. Cardiac arrhythmias are comprised of
extra beats, which include premature atrial contractions and premature
ventricular contractions; supraventricular tachycardias, which include
atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter, and paroxysmal
supraventricular tachycardia; ventricular arrhythmias, which include
ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia; and
bradyarrhythmias.
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